QuattroRomeo

Thank you for expanding  my travel vocabulary, which now includes: lumptop, shinty and throw--up!!!

I couldn't help but wonder what they use as a term for what we call "throw up"... (Apparently, it is "boke"...)

And, that certainly is quite an array of tabloid newspapers!

Cheers to the sea day!! It can be quite unnerving and exhausting to get turned around in a foreign place, especially if English is not the primary language. ( I'm sure they feel the same in reverse..) We have been in that situation a couple of times, too. Chalk it up to experience, I guess is all one can say! 

Long is good!!

Yes, sea days are pretty precious on a port-intensive cruise! The spa looks great. Not sure I'd want to plunge into the sea in June!  But you had the sauna to warm you up. Glad you are enjoying everything!

Agree! Your narration really adds to our appreciation of your adventures!

It does sound like you had a perfect day! The food tour sounds quite interesting. Light lunch, indeed!.. It is great that your teens are liking the onboard experiences. Is there something on the ship they tend to gravitate to? I assume they are exploring quite a bit!?!

What a wonderful start to your cruise! Yes the staff are so nice, And I love the chocolate souffle!

So happy for you! Your first Bon Voyage!!

🍾🍾🍾

We did the same thing- there are long, narrow strips of lined paper reading "Dear ....."  (whatever the Mgr. Name is)". Ours read "Dear Wessel" on the Rotterdam.

We took a stack of papers and filled out 1 per crew member to be recognized. I also took a photo of each one, before depositing them in the box at Guest Services. Then, I was able to rewrite them on the post-cruise survey verbatim.

One of the crew told me it helped to do it the second time because that went to headquarters, unlike the papers. Politics on the ship can sometimes dictate what happens, unfortunately.

Hope you guys have a smooth (as possible) embarkation day! After your arduous journey to the port, you are getting in cruise mode at the hotel..! 🍷

We are also doing this cruise on 6/24. Did the same ship and cruise last year and it was half empty... Won't be this time around!

Magnets and adapters mentioned earlier are definitely good suggestions.

Also, drug store items tend to be either scarce or extremely expensive onboard. So bring a few bandaids, analgesics, allergy meds, tums, sunscreen, eye drops and the like. And whatever anti-nauseants you prefer.

You may have booked some specialty meals already, but if you haven't, book them now- especially for sea days- they are very popular on sea days. Same for spa stuff. 

We usually book a specialty restaurant on embarkation night, when they tend to be quiet. The MDR (main dining room) can be hectic that first night!

Don't feel too badly, OlsSalt- we used to bring lots more clothes, too. But of course it was affordable to add an extra suitcase when flying back then!

They are also available on the day when they have the "sale" tables out in the aisle. I think it was on deck 2. The sale has some watches, earrings, scarves, purses etc and vases.

37 minutes ago, washiotter said:

Thanks! Our strategy is to pick one or two things to do in-depth in each port, rather than trying to get anything like a comprehensive overview. The only HAL tour we’re on is the chartered train to Berlin (using our HIA credits.)

 

We have a few private tours planned:

Food tasting tour of the Central Market in Riga

KGB museum in Tallinn

Walking tour of medieval Tallinn

Berlin Underground tour (literally underground, bomb shelters etc.)

So glad to hear you say that! Many tours are just so jam-packed that you barely remember anything. I call them "blur-tours"! And inevitably include a too-long shopping stop that can't be avoided and are such a waste of time. Focus on what you really want to see and/or eat, and you will have a great, and memorable, trip.

We opted to do our own train trip from Warnemunde to Lubeck and Schwering and had a great day. Will you have some time in Copenhagen?

You know David, I agree with you. Might do half and half! I've read a couple of reviews that spoke to disembarkation congestion. So  "taxi there, transfer back" is looking appealing, just to make it easy!

Welcome to cruising! You have chosen a great itinerary for history buffs. It will be very port intensive, so likely lots of walking. Pace yourselves! It is so nice to just put your feet up when you get back from each port and not have to worry about making dinner! We've done the same itinerary as Greysandy. 

What plans do you have for tours? 

Very good, thank you. We've only been to YVR once before, and that was during Covid, so not the best time to judge things!

We have only recently become 'westerners' and hope to cruise a lot from Pacific ports now that we are closer. As you know, every port is different when it comes to transportation, and we've done taxis, shuttles and ship transfers, so your outline is very helpful. Our cruise will be a Sat-Sat, independent air, and I only see 2 ships in port for the dates, so I think we could manage waiting in a cab queue leaving the ship.

P.s. what/where is the independent shuttle you referred to as an option on really busy port days? I haven't found one yet during my searches.

Is there any problem or delay getting a taxi from the YVR airport to Canada Place, and then back to the airport again after disembarkation? 

It is of course less expensive than the ship transfer service; but are there any advantages to using the transfer in this particular port? Or just stick to a taxi?

There does seem to be a real difference in quality from ship to ship. (Of course that goes for just about anything)!

Last May (2022) aboard the Koningsdam, Canaletto was just excellent. We ate there 4 times on a 7 day cruise. I am hoping the menu there now is the same ( i.e the old one with daily specials).

On the Rotterdam this past winter, Canaletto was disappointing during our 2 visits. On CC people were starting to say that they couldn't do Canaletto reservations online and wondered what was happening. So I asked the hostess there if she had any news. She said that a new menu was being rolled out March 8 (our disembarkation date), but she didn't know if it was fleet-wide.

Cruisemom, the meal you had with gnocchi was likely the braised beef. My favourite.

I agree with your affogato comments- R-dam's was ridiculously small too. Last year on Kdam it was full-sized and very good. Don't know yet for K's current size-status! Seems like an odd choice of dessert to cut back on!

My favourite dessert is the Sicilian cassata torte - doesn't show up on the new menu though..

When we were on the Rotterdam in March, HAL was about to change the menu for Canaletto. But did the new menu get adopted for K-dam? When I look at our current booking for K, the sample menu is still the old one. (Which would be nice because I prefer it)! Anyone familiar with the old one know what is actually offered now? 

No, you don't need pressing service if you get laundry done- your clothes will be ready to wear! As Haljo mentioned earlier, the pressing service is for clean clothes. For example, the wrinkled mess we sometimes pull out of the suitcase.. gentlemen often use it for suit jackets. Or of course anything linen!

2 hours ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

We are first time HAL cruisers and are thinking of buying the laundry package for our 35 night cruise in February. The website states wash, dry and fold however others have said their clothes come back ironed! Will we have to purchase the separate pressing package too or are the clothes pressed in the unlimited laundry package? 

For 35 days, I would definitely get the pkg. Not only will you save $$ compared to the per item pricing, it is just so convenient. We sent some laundry practically every other day. Doesn't have to be a full bag, so those items you like to wear a lot can be back in your closet in no time! And, it is just so adorable how they carefully fold your socks and underwear and wrap them in tissue paper..! 😄

We had the Unlimited Laundry pkg on our 21 day Rotterdam cruise this past Feb/Mar. I asked the cabin attendant for an extra laundry bag, and then would write cold water/air dry on one of the order sheets for that whole bag. Worked great. We sent several bags of laundry and had no problems. We noted the laundry service specifically on the post-cruise survey, because it was so good! 🙂

I empathize; I sure would be livid if I couldn't sleep in what is essentially a floating hotel, because of a problem known to them. The Kafkaesque saga you endured is so frustrating. And then to have it all topped off with the "gang of six" stormtroopers?!! Lordy, lordy! 

I really do hope you get to enjoy the rest of your cruise, now that you have "sleeping quarters"!

The OP is probably fast asleep in the alternate cabin..Or, the GM's assistant has cancelled OP's wifi..😁